


Exposing the Bloom

by Ailith_Kansas



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Extended Family, F/M, Family Secrets, Hidden Magic, Muggles, Nymphadora and Remus alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-20 20:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1524851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailith_Kansas/pseuds/Ailith_Kansas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"How did she even get a boyfriend?" When Hermione's extended family get together, they don't expect for her to have changed. And they definitely didn't expect her to be engaged. Going to be multi-chapter story. HG/DM Slow Update</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arriving Early

Analise POV

Analise Webber sat in the back of the car, grumbling. She was on her way to a family reunion of sorts. It was being held at her uncle’s house, and driving the hour and a half down the motorway bored her. She had always liked Mr and Mrs Granger, but her cousin Hermione had irritated her since she was little. 

At 5 years old Analise had been compared to her cousin. Hermione could already read quite well and she was still struggling. At 11, Hermione got into a fancy boarding school in Scotland, Analise and her 4 other cousins tried looking it up online in one of the weekends that Hermione was away. But they couldn’t find it. How fancy must the school be to not have a website? 

At 18 Analise had already finished school and had a job. Hermione was still studying and of course passed all her exams with the highest marks in her year. Something her parents couldn’t seem to forget. Of course Analise was very close with her parents and for that she was smug. Her and her cousins always made comments on how Hermione must not be very close with her parents, especially after they took a job in Australia for almost a year, without her. 

Now at age 22 she was being dragged by her parents, to the Granger residence along with the rest of their extended family. At least she had her favourite cousin, Martha along with her for the drive. 

“This is gonna suck, you know that right?” Martha remarked to her “We will have to put up with another 6 months after this, with how brilliant Hermione is!”

“Well she can’t have gotten any worse, can she?” 

“I dunno, I haven’t seen her in years. I wonder if she still dresses really weird.” Martha smirked.

“I remember that, she had no sense of fashion at all. How she managed with that and her bossy attitude, to find any friends I don’t know.” Analise had always tried to pick faults with Hermione to make herself feel better. One of the things that she had felt superior about was that she believed Hermione wasn’t very pretty. 

“I suppose we will see, won’t we. Did you know cousin Rory is dating that girl again?”

\---EtB---

The conversation carried on for another 30 minutes , until they parked outside 314 Hawthorn Avenue. They were supposed to be meeting that evening, but Analise’s parents wanted to surprise them and arrived at 9 am. Explaining some of Analise’s grouchiness.

When they had all bundled out of the car, they knocked on the front door. A minute later a girl in her 20’s opened the door, looking as if she had just woken up. Yesterday’s makeup still on her face, blinking in the sunlight. They stared at each other for a minute, before she recognised them.

“Oh, hi! It took me a minute to realise who you were!” The girl hugged Analise’s parents, before Analise clicked and it dawned on her this must be Hermione. She couldn’t believe it, this girl was pretty, she had brown curls framing her face and running down her back. Hazel eyes set in caramel tinted skin, and a gorgeous figure. 

“Hermione dear, I hope we didn’t wake you?” her mother exclaimed taking in the sight of Hermione. 

“Oh no! I was awake for a little while I was just about to get dressed to go to the shops.”

She let them all in to the living room, where an amused Mr and Mrs Granger sat, who stood up to greet them. 

“Hermione, why don’t you go and get dressed? and drag yourself to the shops? Take that boy with you, if you can wake him up.” Hermione’s mother chuckled. Hermione made a face that said her chances weren’t good, before dashing from the room. 

Analise was confused what boy was she talking about, Mr and Mrs Granger hadn’t had any other children. Was someone staying with them? Martha shared a glance with her, telling her she had no clue either. 

They sat down and made small talk before a couple of minutes later. The sounds of someone stumbling down the stairs reached them.

“Shit” 

Hermione popped her head around the door, “we’ll take the list from the fridge, kay?”

Mr Granger nodded yes, while laughing as a voice of male grumbling followed Hermione out the front door. Mrs Granger smiling widely as she turned back to the intrigued family, filled them in. 

“Hermione’s fiancé stayed over last night so he could meet the family. He’s really not a morning person.” She told them while laughing. 

The Webbers sat in shock, Hermione was engaged! When did that happen? How did she even get a boyfriend? thought Analise. He was probably some loser who she would never look twice at. She was determined to get all the information on him she could before they got back so she and her cousins could talk about it when they finally got here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve seen a couple of fanfictions with this theme, but there has always been something about how the characters are portrayed that bugs me. So I thought I’d give it a go.


	2. Spanish Inquisition

She was determined to get all the information on him she could before they got back so she and her cousins could talk about it when they finally got here.

\---EtB---

Analise POV

Analise shared a look with Martha, and then turned to Mrs Granger. 

“Fiancé?” she broke the silence, incredulously. 

“Oh yes, Hermione’s fiancé, Draco. They’ve been engaged for nine...?” she looked at her husband for confirmation; he nodded “nine months.” She continued. 

“I didn’t know ‘Mione was in a relationship with anyone!” Anne Webber inquired. Analise smiled, it seemed her mother was as curious as her and Martha were. 

“They were at school together, absolutely hated each other.” Mr Granger put in.

“Got together just after her 20th birthday. We first met him just before that.” Miranda Granger explained, with a scowl towards her husband. 

“I was completely justified!” exclaimed Richard Granger in retaliation. 

“What happened?” pressed Analise.

“They flew out to Australia to see us. Richard decided something must be going on with the two of them, and proceeded to question the poor man the rest of their stay!” Richard had the decency to look slightly shamefaced. 

“We hadn’t seen her for a while, I didn’t know did I?” He justified.

“Natural isn’t it? You only want what’s best for her.” Mr Webber chimed in, “If Analise brought a boy home, I know I’d do the same.”

Analise tossed a sharp look in her father’s direction, great! Point out that she didn’t have a boyfriend, just as she learnt that Hermione had a fiancé. Analise was even more incensed to find out everything she could about this Draco. 

\---EtB---

As the parents started talking about what they had been getting up to over the couple of years since they had seen each other. Analise took a look around the room they were sat in. The walls were a light cream colour, paired with a brown carpet. The sofas were a comfy, wrap around style. She directed her gaze towards the fireplace where a few pictures were situated. There was one of the Grangers wedding, one of a young Hermione and one of Hermione with a group of people. 

One boy had black hair and wore glasses; he had his arm around a small blonde girl looking shyly at the camera. One had long ginger hair and was quite tall; he was stood next to Hermione. The other side of Hermione was a handsome blonde boy looking exasperatedly towards a couple of people behind them, pulling funny faces at the person taking the photo. 

Analise wondered if one of these was Hermione’s fiancé. Mrs Granger caught her looking at the photos. 

“Draco is the blonde one.” She answered Analise’s musings, standing up to collect the photo from the mantle.

“Do they live with you?” Martha asked from the other side of Analise. 

“No, Draco has a flat in London. Hermione lives there with him. They stayed over last night, because they came yesterday for dinner.” Richard explained. 

“How long has ‘Mione lived with him?” inquired Anne Webber. 

“Just before her 21st birthday, wasn’t it?” Richard questioned his wife.

“Yes, in August.” She confirmed.

“What’s he like?” Analise mused. ‘I bet he’s really boring, or a know-it-all, just like Hermione. He must be if he’s with her’ she thought to herself. ‘Pity really, he is quite good looking.’

Mr and Mrs Granger seemed to be in thought for a minute.

“He is smart, just like Hermione.”

“His grades were just behind hers, if I remember correctly.”

‘Just like I thought’ decided Analise ‘he must be a right know-it-all if his only choice was Hermione.’

“Very polite too”

“Not so much in the mornings though, bit grouchy before ten.”

“He’s good with children; he and his cousin are very close. Teddy isn’t it?”

“It is, that’s true.”

“Hermione and him are very sweet together too.”

“I thought you said he and Hermione hated each other?” Mr Webber asked confused. 

Analise remembered this and was intrigued too. What had happened between the two of them, to go from hating to marriage?

“Well, Draco and Hermione’s friends didn’t like each other at all, at each others’ throats.” Miranda Granger explained. “After their last year of school, Hermione and Draco got to know each other a bit better. The school did a summer camp type thing, and they were in the same group. He’s also the cousin of one of Hermione’s good friends, Tonks.”  
“How did her friends feel about them, you said they didn’t get along?” Anne Webber questioned.

Richard Granger chuckled “They weren’t too impressed at the beginning. All it took was a look from Hermione and they kept their opinions to a minimum. They’re pretty good friends now, apparently once they got over everything that happened at school, they found they had a lot in common. Sports teams and such, they go to games together every now and again.”

“Who did they go and watch?” Sam Webber looked more interested in the conversation now. Analise internally groaned, once her dad got talking about football or baseball there would be no stopping him. 

“I couldn’t have told you?” Richard answered, he looked relieved thought Analise, ‘that’s right; Uncle Richard isn’t really into sports.’ 

Her and Martha exchanged a look, they weren’t finding out much about Hermione and her fiancé. Analise could see Martha had decided to up the questioning.

“How did he propose?” she inquired.

“Oh that’s a lovely story, I can never tell it properly. Hermione could tell you when she gets back.” Miranda Granger spun round in her chair looking towards the clock on the wall. It read quarter to eleven. “They should be back soon. There wasn’t much on the list.”

Analise started, they had been talking for longer than she had thought. And she still hadn’t found out anything. She was impatient for Hermione to get home, if she was the same as when she was younger, Hermione would tell her lots. ‘She was probably so happy for someone wanted to talk to her, she had to give them gossip on her life just to keep them interested in the conversation.’ Analise considered nastily. Once she learned everything from Hermione, she would have lots to tell her cousins later. 

She was broken out of her musings by the sound of the front door opening and two pairs of footsteps bringing bags of shopping in. Once the front door closed finally, she heard a female voice call out. 

“We’re back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the rights to it. I just like to write down what’s in my imagination when the Wi-Fi is down. I could never even hope to be as amazing as JK. 
> 
> If I got the Grangers names wrong, I’m also sorry, I couldn’t remember. It was really hard to say how they got together considering the Webbers are muggles. Have no fear the next chapter is from a different point of view, so you will get to find out what happened.  
> Please comment, comments are like cookies or free offers to do your homework. AKA. very appreciated.


	3. Planting the Seeds

She was broken out of her musings by the sound of the front door opening and two pairs of footsteps bringing bags of shopping in. Once the front door closed finally, she heard a female voice call out.  


“We’re back.”

\---EtB---

Mrs Granger POV

Miranda Granger looked towards Hermione as she came through the door from the hallway. Her daughter looked around at everyone in the room and called out, "Hi."

A chorus of hellos sounded in reply from across the room as Hermione leaned against the doorjamb.

Miranda could hear Draco opening and closing cupboards in the kitchen, no doubt putting the shopping away. Hermione moved out to go and help him unpack the groceries when Anne called out to halt her, “Hermione dear, how have you been?”

Hermione turned back to the occupants of the living room, sticking her head through the door frame to converse with her aunt, “I’m good, thanks, and how are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. So are you going to tell us about your fiancé out there?” Miranda could see how excited Anne looked at the prospect of knowing all about Draco before the others got there later, just barely refraining from bouncing in her seat. 

Miranda wondered how Hermione was going to explain her and Draco’s history together. She could hardly tell the truth! Somehow: ‘We met at my school for people with magic. We fought together against a dark wizard, and then together we took a memory charm off my parents, that, by the way, is why they were in Australia. They didn’t even remember me!’ didn’t seem like a reasonable way to put it. 

“Yeah, just give me a second. I'd better go and help before he starts complaining about putting everything away on his own. Be right back.” Hermione said before leaving the room.

Miranda looked towards her husband. Richard also looked intrigued as to how their daughter was going to describe the story. He raised an eyebrow, Miranda silently chuckling in return. Both could hear the start of male grumbling from the kitchen.

Analise seemed impatient, Miranda noted. Analise had never been a nice girl; she grew up very spoiled by her parents. Hermione was an only child too, but they had never acted the way Anne and Sam did towards Analise. She always seemed to be on the lookout for some sort of malicious gossip or new information she could boast about knowing before others, rather like her mother in that respect. Miranda expected this time to be no different. 

Martha on the other hand, she thought, was a sweet girl at heart. She however, was so wrapped up in idolising her cousin, Analise, being a year younger and attending the same school that she had lost her own identity entirely. It was a pity Miranda thought. If only she got a chance to be herself and not a reflection of Analise. 

Hermione’s other cousins were a mixed bunch. Tom, the oldest at 24, was Richard’s eldest and only brother, Daniel's, son. He had grown into a pleasant man and got on well with Hermione. He always seemed to stick up for Hermione when they were smaller. Tom's younger brother Jack, who was 19, was always grouped together with Martha’s 18 year old sister, Rachel. No doubt because of their similar ages. 

Hermione had two other cousins on the Granger side of the family, Rory and Nicole. They were Emma’s children.

\---EtB---

Miranda could hear Hermione and Draco making their way towards them, as they came through the doorway; she had to hold back a laugh. Draco looked pained at having to meet people. They sat on the sofa next to Analise and Martha up against the back wall of the room, opposite the fire place. Draco sat smoothly and hid all manner of nervousness (which only Hermione and her parents could still identify) behind a straight but pleasant facade. Hermione sat next to him, close enough for their knees to be touching, but not enough for her aunt Anne to raise her impeccably drawn on eyebrows.

Hermione then introduced everyone to Draco and vice versa. 

“So you’re Hermione’s fiancé?” spoke Sam before anyone else could speak from the chair adjacent to Draco’s end of the curved sofa. 

Draco replied with an 'I am' coupled with a nod. There was a hesitation as to where this line of inquiry was heading noted Miranda Granger.

“Go on then Hermione, how did you two meet? When did you get engaged?” rattled Anne.

Ah, thought Miranda, we finally get to the questions she had wanted to ask ever since she found out about Hermione and Draco.

“Well Draco and I went to school together, we had a few classes together but we were never friends. Draco’s cousin Tonks and I are good friends, and we became closer through her and her husband Remus.” Hermione answered with no hesitation, almost as if she had rehearsed. Knowing Hermione, reflected Miranda, she probably had. Draco smiled in response to her answer; Miranda knew how happy the boy was to be reconnected with his previously estranged relatives.

Miranda thought back to what Draco and Hermione had shared with them just after they had regained their memories in Australia. Hermione and Draco had been in the same group together rebuilding the astronomy tower after the battle. All hands were needed to get the school up and running in time for September, only four months after the end of the war. From what she and her husband had been told, they had become friends after they agreed to put all past prejudices behind them. 

While working together, Hermione had told Draco about how her parents were under a memory charm in Australia with no recollection as to who she was. For the next two years they met frequently at social gatherings until September 2000 when Draco revealed that while searching through his fathers’ old belongings he had found a way to reverse the charms. In November the charms were reversed and they all sat down to talk.

This was the meeting in which Richard had terrorised Draco about his intentions towards Hermione and how he better be treating her right. Unaware that Hermione and Draco were in no such relationship, this was very awkward for all parties involved. Shortly afterwards just before Christmas Draco and Hermione started seeing each other romantically. 

A fact Richard always contributed to his stern talking to of Draco in the aforementioned November, an idea everyone ignored whenever he brought it up, due to no one wishing to break his delusions of masculine intimidation. 

Out of the corner of her eye Miranda saw Analise paying very close attention to what was being said by her daughter. She didn’t like the malicious look in her eye; it was almost calculating. 

Miranda, from the small loveseat she and Richard were sharing, shot a look towards Draco. He was watching Analise warily. When he glanced up to catch her eye a message was passed between them. If anyone would cause trouble over the carefully created fabrications Hermione and Draco were telling, it would be Analise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my new Beta reader GarnetAles who made this chapter infinitely more readable. This chappie is Mrs Granger centric, so more background information for you guys. I recently started driving lessons, I am really excited. I pity for other drivers. And pedestrians. 
> 
> As for Remus and Tonks, they may happen to just slightly be alive. Ummmm... I love them too much alright. They will not die, not on my watch. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise is mine. I just like to play with other peoples characters when they aren’t watching. However, if you don’t recognise anything and think I am an absolute genius for creating all of this, I won’t correct you.


	4. Cunning Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Analise's scheming comes to a head and next chapter the rest of the family will arrive.

When he glanced up to catch her eye a message was passed between them. If anyone would cause trouble over the carefully created fabrications Hermione and Draco were telling, it would be Analise.

\---EtB---

Analise POV

Analise looked over the bed towards Martha while half-heartedly pulling the quilt up to the pillows. They were arranging bedrooms for the rest of the family that were arriving later. Not everyone was staying over. Her cousins, uncles and aunts were but she knew her grandparents were leaving and only spending the evening with them. She and Martha had been roped into helping out, and she disgustedly carried out her orders. Analise was under the impression that doing work in others’ houses was similar to servitude, why should she have to help when she was a guest? 

At the moment two of the four guest rooms had been prepared; Analise and Martha were to take over setting up one of those remaining, Draco and Hermione the other. ‘Guest rooms’ was a bit of a stretch Analise had snidely remarked to Martha upon entering the room. The rooms being commandeered for sleeping were; the second sitting room, Hermione’s bedroom, the spare room and Mr Granger’s study. Analise and Martha were making up the sofa bed in the sitting room, whereas Hermione and Draco were setting up a camp bed in the study, the desk having been pushed against the wall. 

Analise had really wanted a snoop in Hermione’s room but unfortunately had no reason to go upstairs, there was a small bathroom downstairs, much to Analise’s irritation. As the younger generation were to camp out in the living room, Analise had started to plan a way to get herself inside Hermione’s room. She and Martha had been trading ideas while preparing the room and so far none were workable. She wasn’t sure exactly why she didn’t believe the story told to them all earlier but something hadn’t rung true.

Analise may not be a nice person but no-one had ever said she wasn’t smart. She had identified a few slips in the tale spun. For one, why was Mr. Granger confused about the relationship between Hermione and her ‘fiancé’? Surely Hermione had kept in contact with them whilst they were in Australia, at least to the point that they knew about any relationships. And that brought her on to another topic. Why did her aunt and uncle move to Australia for a couple of years anyway, just to come back and carry on as if they had never left? They even opened up their old dental practice again. Why had Hermione only visited them in Australia the one time, just before they came home? It wasn’t as if the Grangers couldn’t afford the flight costs. When they had announced they were moving to Australia they hadn’t even mentioned Hermione, everyone had assumed they had fallen out over it and Hermione hadn’t wanted them to move. Then no-one had heard from Hermione for at least a year, not that she ever really talked to them beforehand. 

‘She always thought she was better than the rest of us’ Analise snarked internally, ‘I’m surprised she hasn’t hidden herself away while we are all here!’ Analise shared her thoughts with Martha who agreed and added cruelly that her parents were probably forcing her to be friendly. 

\---EtB---

As the two walked out of the sitting room and towards the room where they had left Analise’s parents and the Grangers, they went over their plan. 

They would wait until everyone was at dinner and then ask their questions. That way Hermione and her parents would have to answer and the rest of the family would surely spot any flaws in the story fed to them. Then, thought Analise, Draco would see how manipulative and bossy Hermione was. What kind of person lies to her family? Not one Draco would want to associate with, Analise contemplated. As the best looking of her cousins and obviously the most interesting, Analise schemed Draco would talk to her for the rest of the night and see what a better alternative she would be to her lying cousin. Hopefully Draco would be able to see past her unsavoury relation to Hermione and accept her. Draco must be from a very respectable family where people like Hermione wouldn’t be tolerated, Analise was sure. Once he saw the woman he was currently shackled to’s, true colours he would come crawling to her. Martha had nodded while Analise had explained her plan, and once finished, had complimented Analise on her cleverness. 

As they entered the living room, Analise and Martha sat on the small sofa opposite the fireplace. The adults turned to them to fill them in on what they had missed. “We were thinking of going out later, so you kids can catch up. You could either stay here or all do something together.” Miranda Granger relayed to them.

“Hermione might have some friends round too, so it won’t just be the few of you. There’s a club or something around here they go to sometimes. Hermione would know more about it than we would.” Richard continued on from his wife. 

At this point Hermione walked in fiancé in tow, “Hey, what’s been decided?” she questioned. They were informed of the new plan concerning the ‘parent’ generation. It was then that Mr. Granger turned to Draco to ask a question concerning his cousin.

“Did Tonks or Remus get back to you on whether or not they could make it, we were talking about them joining us the last time they were here?” Analise hadn’t heard of them yet and was naturally interested in why Draco’s cousins would be friends with Hermione’s parents. 

“They said they might ask Andromeda to look after Teddy, and if she could, they would be able to make it.” Draco recounted, “Aunt Andy’s wanted to have Teddy over at hers for a while, and I think they will be here later. I’ll speak to them and see what the plan is.”

“That’s brilliant,” Miranda commented. Turning to Sam and Anne Webber she finished, “Draco’s cousins are lovely, we met them after we came back from Australia. Their little boy Teddy is the sweetest child you have ever seen.”

Analise wondered how this ‘Tonks and Remus’ and the Grangers had the occasion to become so close. Surely it would be more likely for Draco’s parents to be closer to her aunt and uncle. She dismissed the thought; she would ask her questions at dinner. She looked to her cousin sitting next to her; Martha was paying avid attention to the conversation taking place before her. Analise sighed internally, that girl never picked up on anything amiss. Later on her other cousins would be here. Rory would understand there was something wrong. Tom and Jack had been friends with Hermione in their youth, because they were all a bunch of book worms, Analise critiqued. They would undoubtedly swallow every story told to them. Nicole and Rachel would be indifferent and uncaring as to whether the story was true or not. It would have to be her, Martha and Rory’s duty to uncover the truth. 

She wondered belatedly whether Draco’s cousins would have been similarly duped, then remembered her aunt telling them earlier that Hermione and Tonks were good friends. Maybe these cousins were in on it too? Analise considered what they could possibly be hiding to warrant all this secrecy. Maybe Hermione had been sleeping around and gotten pregnant. That could explain the move to Australia and then back again, if they didn’t want anyone to know. Oh, she would find it all out later, she promised herself. She sat back and listened to her family discussing what to have for dinner, her scheming finished for now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: School thou heartless bitch. Exams are approaching which means I am panicking while doing absolutely no revision (should be doing mock papers as you read this). Anyway, thank you to my beta GarnetAles, who makes these chapters pretty. So because of exams, I’m not sure when the next update will be, hopefully not too far away.
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor have I not kidnapped her and forced her to sign all rights to me so alas I do not own Harry Potter. It’s a cruel world.


End file.
